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Bribery video: SERAP sues Buhari for failure to order Ganduje’s probe

Anti-corruption advocacy group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, has sued President Muhammadu Buhari for failing to order the probe of the bribery allegation against Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

Some video clips had weeks ago surfaced on the Internet showing the governor allegedly collecting kickbacks from some contractors.

Early November, SERAP, in an open letter, urged Buhari to use his good offices to direct either the Attorney General of the Federation or anti-graft agencies to probe the bribery allegations against Ganduje.

The anti-corruption group argued that though the alleged bribery directly concerned Kano State, the Federal Government could not afford to look away.

It gave the President seven days to order Ganduje's probe, threatening to take up legal action against the President should its request be ignored.

In a statement on Sunday by its Senior Legal Adviser, Ms Bamisope Adeyanju, SERAP said it had finally sued the President before the Federal High Court in Lagos.

The group said since it wrote the President early November, the President had failed to order Ganduje's probe.

It added that it became particularly concerned following last week ruling of a Kano State High Court, which stopped the Kano State House of Assembly from probing Ganduje.

The group said it is, through its suit, marked FHC/L/CS/2055/18, seeking "an order for leave to apply for judicial review and an order of mandamus directing and/or compelling Mr Buhari to immediately direct the investigation of allegations of bribery against Mr Ganduje."

"The applicant's requests are not onerous but simply based on issues of public interest, good governance, transparency and accountability.

"It is in the interest of justice to grant this application, as the respondent has nothing to lose if the application is granted," SERAP argued in the suit.